A California Highway Patrol rescue team is being credited with helping save a South Lake Tahoe hiker who nearly fell to her death.

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The 27-year-old from South Lake Tahoe was hiking near Luther Pass in El Dorado County with her boyfriend and dog when the dog slipped.

The hiker reached to save the dog. But she lost her footing in the process, causing her to fall down the steep mountainside.

She slid head over heal for roughly 15 feet before free-falling off a 30-foot tall cliff.

CHP helicopter pilot Bryan Souza was part of a four-man crew dispatched to rescue her.

“She was very fortunate that she landed on her backside, which gave her some injuries -- but ultimately the way she fell, I think, saved her life,” Souza said.

Once on board, the crew learned the extent of the victim’s injuries.

“Her hands, tips of her fingers were pretty raw from grabbing onto rocks and bushes to stop herself," Souza said. "It was completely mangled on her hands.”

She also suffered injuries to her ankle, knee and left shoulder.

In a statement, the hiker, who asked not to be identified, said “CHP did a great job and I am very grateful for the people who helped me. It was an accident that could have happened to any hiker in the Sierra.”

Rescuers said if you find yourself in a situation similar to this, there’s an app on your phone that can help save you.

Most smart phones have a compass app that can determine your exact latitude and longitude.

“That’s a coordinate that we can use to help locate you in the time of an emergency,” Souza said.

In this case, the hiker’s boyfriend opened the app and was able to pass along their location to a dispatcher, who relayed it to the helicopter crew.

The victim was transported to Barton Hospital in South Lake Tahoe. The victim’s boyfriend and dog were fine and hiked out without incident.